Celtic 1 Rangers 0: Olivier Ntcham fires Bhoys to Old Firm win

A controversial second half goal for Olivier Ntcham saw Celtic win a feisty Old Firm clash at Celtic Park as Brendan Rodgers drew first blood in his managerial battle with friend turned foe Gerrard.

Gerrard was left seething at the final whistle after believing Tom Rogic had fouled Ryan Jack deep in the Celtic half in the build-up to Ntcham’s winning strike on 62 minutes.

He remonstrated with referee William Collum after waiting for the official to leave the pitch at the final whistle.

But deep down Gerrard will know his side were outplayed from start to finish by a superior team who struck the woodwork four times and wasted some glorious chances to make the scoreline more comfortable.

Gerrard will also know he still has a huge task on his hands bridging the gulf in class that exists between these two fierce enemies, with Celtic now extending their unbeaten run in these derbies to a remarkable 12.

This was the first Old Firm clash of the season and had been one of the most anticipated for a long time.

Rodgers and Gerrard once stood shoulder to shoulder at Anfield, united in their failed pursuit of a Premier League title.

But these two now found themselves divided in Glasgow, central figures in one of the biggest and bitterest rivalries in world football.

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Celtic 1 Rangers 0: Olivier Ntcham fired the Bhoys to Old Firm glory

There remains a healthy respect between the two, despite the fact their relationship soured to a certain degree towards the end in 2015.

Rodgers turned Gerrard into a deeper lying midfielder and it almost won Liverpool the league title that season, but in the following campaign the Irishman started leaving him out of games, including an infamous Champions League clash at Real Madrid.

He flexed his muscles, addressing the sensitive issue of being the one who had to phase out a club legend, a remarkable midfielder but also an ageing one.

Now fate had thrown them together once again in a scenario that saw the master take on the apprentice in a clash both were desperate not to lose.

This promised to be the ultimate test of Gerrard’s fast-improving managerial reputation as he looks to overhaul Celtic as the undisputed kings of Scotland.

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Celtic 1 Rangers 0: Brendan Rodgers got one over Steven Gerrard

Rangers came into the game unbeaten in 12 games since Gerrard took charge, but Celtic were on their longest unbeaten derby run, with Rodgers never having tasted defeat since taking charge at Parkhead in 2016.

During this time Rodgers has swept the board to win successive domestic trebles, but cracks had appeared in recent weeks with Rodgers unable to address defensive issues, while the saga surrounding Moussa Dembele came to a head this weekend when he was sold to Lyon for £19m.

The past month has been the toughest of Rodgers’s reign, but could Gerrard take advantage and mastermind Rangers’ 11-game wait for an Old Firm win?

It didn’t look like it from the start, with the home side dominating possession and pinning Rangers deep inside their own half.

The visitors relied on the brilliance of Allan McGregor to keep them in the game, with the Rangers goalkeeper denying Ntchem and blocking Odsonne Edouard’s header before prodding a stunning save to tip a drive from the match-winner onto the crossbar.